All children and young people have the rightto have their views, wishes and feelings taken into account whendecisions are made about their lives. This legal right is protected inArticle 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and in theChildren Act 1989. Find out more about advocacy.

People on the autism spectrum of any age or level of ability can experience behavioural difficulties. This can cause particular problems at school if all of the school staff don’t have a background knowledge of the challenges that being on the autism spectrum can create. Find out more about behaviour.

Last year over 20,000 children and young people called ChildLine about bullying, making it the most common problem the helpline dealt with. Children on the autism spectrum are more likely to experience bullying, and more likely to bully others. Find out more about bullying.

Disabled children can face considerable difficulties in accessing suitable and affordable childcare because of a lack of suitable available places and the high costs of existing places. This has multiple implications for families, including siblings, as the family becomes disproportionately home-based, increasing social exclusion and affecting income. Find out more about childcare provision.

Early years - before the age of five - is a crucial time for children on the autism spectrum. Diagnosis and identification is occurring at an earlier age and there is increased recognition that early intervention is vital to improved outcomes. Find out more about early years.

As parents know only too well many families of children on the autism spectrum are under considerable stress. Some children can require constant supervision, help with self-care skills, may eat a limited range of foods, be very resistant to change, and can spend many hours awake when others of the same age would be asleep. Find out more about family support and short breaks.

Increasing numbers of parents of children on the autism spectrum are now following home-based programmes adapted specifically for the needs of children on the autism spectrum. For some this is done in preparation for entry into mainstream school. Find out more about home-based provision.

A good understanding of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is vital given the importance modern society places on using technology in the finding and processing of information. Find out more about information and communication technology.

If your child has learning difficulties or special educational needs the school should record the help they plan to give your child. They will often do this in a document called an Individual Education Plan (IEP). Find out more about individual education plans.

When parents of children and young people on the autism spectrum must choose a school they may be faced with a variety of local-authority funded settings – mainstream schools, special schools, autism units attached to schools and ‘resourced provision’ in mainstream classes. Find out more about mainstream or special school?

If you are reading this because you are the parent of a child on the autism spectrum then you are more likely than most to understand that parents of disabled children are often in contact with a host of professionals. Find out more about multi-agency support.

The National Curriculum is a set of guidelines drawn up by the government which maps out the subjects that need to be covered and the way that children are assessed at school. Find out more about the national curriculum.

Because children on the autism spectrum often struggle to understand the social behaviour of others and what is socially acceptable behaviour a focus on personal and social development at school is particularly important. Find out more about personal and social development.

School provision for children on the autism spectrum is made in a variety of settings — mainstream schools, autism specialist schools, special schools, residential schools, autism units attached to schools and resourced provision in mainstream classes. Find out more about school provision.

Twenty per cent of school pupils in England have special educational needs (SEN). Nearly 3 per cent have a Statement of SEN as they need more help or help different from that usually provided in ordinary schools. Just over 17 per cent have SEN but no statement. Find out more about levels of support for SEN.

A special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO) is a teacher who is responsible for special educational needs within schools. All schools have a SENCO and they work with other teachers and with parents to ensure that the needs of pupils, who are identified as having special educational needs, are met within the school. Find out more about SENCO's.

Children on the autism spectrum often have difficulty understanding the communication of others and communicating effectively with them. In fact a child on the autism spectrum may not see any reason to communicate with other people. Find out more about speech and language therapy.

Preparing for and managing change is important for all children, but this is particularly so for those on the autism spectrum who can find change extremely hard to deal with. Find out more about transition.